


Wait For You

by mr_mustache_penis



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Happy Ending, How the Show Should End TBH, Implied!Galra Keith, It's Still In Space, Keith-Centric, Lance has two moms, M/M, Matt Speaks Guys, Not really an AU, Ominously Hetero, Starts With The Rescue of Pidge's Family, kidding lol could you imagine?, the Final Battle
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-22
Updated: 2016-09-22
Packaged: 2018-08-16 18:44:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,066
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8113291
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mr_mustache_penis/pseuds/mr_mustache_penis
Summary: It started with the rescue of Pidge's family. "Are you satisfied with the way things are now?""No." It ended with a new beginning





	

**Author's Note:**

> So this entire fic was inspired by the song "Wait For You" by Elliott Yamin. Yeah, this is what happens when I get too many ideas.

 

It started with the rescue of Pidge’s family. Keith liked to think it was their hardest mission, probably because it was. It took an emotional toll on everyone, especially Pidge and Shiro. Rescuing them from the quintessence freighter they had been put onto was risky and dangerous, but proved fruitful in the end. Matt and Mr. Holt both were feeble and malnourished, so they were both put into the healing pods. Matt kept murmuring the same words over and over again: Iverson. Iverson. Like a precious chant. Whatever information Matt had could wait. He needed to heal, along with his father.

Keith couldn’t fully empathize with Pidge about the near loss of her family. Sure, he looked up to Shiro like an older brother at the Garrison, so the news of his disappearance hit him pretty hard. But Keith didn’t feel anything like the heartbreak Pidge did. Family was unfamiliar to him, ever since his mother died. Being on a team was different for him, and he didn’t really allow himself to get attached at first. He was afraid of feeling something that familiar again when it could just as easily be ripped away. Now he felt bonded to all of them: Shiro, Hunk, Pidge, Coran, Allura… and Lance. Lance had been the hardest to bond with, because of their rivalry. They constantly butted heads, they were so different in personality, like fire and water. When they worked together, after a while, they formed steam, a cohesive unit. There was a sharp change in Lance, the insults and teasing and challenging faded away after who knows how long. Keith though maybe Lance finally saw himself as equal to Keith, instead of someone to compete with. Whatever Lance realized, the whole team could feel it, and thus forming Voltron was seamless, which allowed them to do what they did today: saving Pidge’s family once and for all.

Things were far from over, however. There was still the matter of defeating Zarkon. He was running out of monsters and the paladins as well as the Alteans knew the inevitable was coming: an attack on the one home they had left, Earth. It surprised Allura and Shiro especially that Zarkon waited this long, but waiting is what you did before you ran out of options, wasn’t it? The facts remained: Zarkon was heading on a course straight for Earth, which they were sure about. So they had to hit him where it counted. They just weren’t sure where that was just yet. Nearly all of the Galra bases had been taken out, either by Voltron or those that believed in Voltron. They were steadily driving Zarkon into a corner, but how do you defeat an alien that’s lasted as long as your species existed?

That’s what they were discussing, or trying to. Pidge was huddled at the foot of her father’s pod, (she hadn’t moved since he was placed there), and was currently asleep. Shiro sat against Matt’s pod, deep in meditation. Keith had been sent to get them, but couldn’t bring himself to wake her up. She looked so peaceful for the first time in… was it months? Years? It was hard to tell exactly how much earth time had passed. They were all a little older, that was for sure. Keith gently tapped Shiro’s shoulder, hoping to disturb him as kindly as possible.

“Hmmm?” Shiro hummed, eyes still closed.

“Shiro, Allura needs you. We’re about to have a briefing on our last plan of action,” said Keith. Shiro’s eyes opened, and he immediately looked to his left, at Pidge. “Leave her. We can tell her later, but we right now need our leader.” Keith held out his hand and Shiro took it, allowing himself to be hoisted up. They made their way to the lounge room, where Lance and Hunk were sitting on the couch. Allura and Coran chose to stand, discussing something over a map in Altean. Keith slid between them and Shiro joined the other adults.

“Hey buddy.” Lance greeted Keith with a smile, blue eyes sparkling with confidence. Keith smiled back, still a rare sight but a cherished one none the less.

“Hey Lance. Big man, how you holding up?” he asked Hunk, using the not quite nickname from their first meeting in the desert. Hunk had taken a pretty bad beating from the guards while he was planting the explosive that trashed the freighter, but what Hunk lacked in actual combat, he made up for in skill and brute strength, tossing guards left and right and setting off the bomb with ease.

“Awww, man I’m okay. Just glad to be back with the Holts in one piece. Is Pidge-?”

“Sleeping. She deserves it.”

They nodded. Nobody was more dedicated to finding her family than she was. What was a couple hours of rest but a small reward?

“Can you believe we’re this close to going home?” Lance asked, squeezing his fingers together until they were comically close. “If you think Pidge is happy to see her family, wait til I get to I see mine. I’ll be bawling like a baby.”

Family. The one thing Keith didn’t have.

“Right, big baby Lance.” Keith teased.

“Hey! Don’t tell me you won’t be crying when you see Earth again.”

“It will be nice to smell the grease of my dad’s shop,” admitted Hunk. “And taste my mother’s famous roast pig. That is, if we make it.”

That sobered Lance up. Keith watched his eyes mist over. Oh no.

“Hey. We’re going to see Earth again. We made it this far.” Keith awkwardly patted Lance’s hand, trying to comfort him. “We’re going home.”

Lance sniffed. “Yeah.”

Allura chose that moment to turn around, facing the paladins. Shiro and Coran wore grim expressions, as if they knew something bad that others didn’t, which was most likely true.

“Listen up paladins. Our final attack on Zarkon has to be executed precisely, so every, how you say, ounce of information has to be processed at full attention. Firstly,” she paused, taking a deep breath. “You will not be forming Voltron.”

There was a sharp intake of breath from Lance, and Keith’s eyes widened. Not forming Voltron? Their entire thing was _forming Voltron_!

“Instead, you’ll be forming teams of two. One of you will have to join Pidge as she returns to Earth to warn your government about Zarkon with her family.”

“I’ll go.” Hunk stood. He wore an oddly determined look on his face.

“Hunk no…” Lance protested.

“Hunk yes. Listen Lance, I am no good in close combat. My skill is in engineering, not strategy. You and Keith would benefit better without me to slow you down. I can hopefully convince the government to let me build a particle barrier. Coran, could I get some sort blueprint?” Hunk looked up at Coran.

“Of course you can.” Coran said, working on compacting a virtual blueprint on the tablet.

Hunk gazed back to Lance and Keith. “You guy are my best friends. We’re practically brothers. I trust your judgement so you have to trust mine. I have to do this.” He clapped a hand on each of their shoulders. “Lance, I can even tell your family…”

Lance stared up at his best friend. “Okay… Okay man.”

“You can do it big man,” said Keith, and Hunk smiled at him. He sat back down and Allura continued.

“Thank you Hunk. The second team, which is you two, Lance and Keith, are going to destroy the collection of quintessence Zarkon has been building up over the past ten thousand years. We’ve determined it’s the only thing keeping him alive. It’s being stored in a specific part of the ship, but I wouldn’t put it past Zarkon to have a secret stash somewhere. Once the main collection is destroyed, it’s your job to infiltrate the ship and destroy any the Zarkon may have hid. It has to be kept from him at all costs, do you understand?” She eyed the two of them, and they nodded.

“What about Shiro?” Keith asked, noticing Shiro’s lack of input to the conversation. He was standing behind Allura, arms crossed and eyes only on her.

“Once the majority of the quintessence is destroyed, he’ll go take out Zarkon.”

The three paladins all knew what “take out Zarkon” meant in Earth slang. Was Shiro mentally prepared for that, even with someone evil as Zarkon?

Shiro noticed their nervous glances, and spoke. “I’ll be fine guys. This was a long time coming.” He tried to sound nonchalant, but even he wasn’t convinced.

The doors hissed open, and Pidge ran in, panting.

“Pidge! Is everything alright?” asked Allura.

“My brother is awake!” she exclaimed. “And you’ll want to hear what he has to say, right now.”

They all scrambled to follow Pidge to the healing bay, where her brother sat, blanket draped around him. Shiro ran to his side, sitting and putting his arm around his best friend’s shoulder. Pidge took his other side, holding onto his hand. Keith observed he looked much better now, pallor returning to his cheeks and under-eye circles greatly diminished. Over all he was less haggard looking than before. A healthy brother, at least physically.

“Alright Matt. Start from the beginning.”

Matt sighed. “I’m sorry you guys, but you can’t go back to earth.”

Allura gasped, and Keith watched the color drain out of Lance and Hunk’s faces.

“Matt… what do you mean we can’t go back to earth?” asked Shiro.

“It’s not destroyed is it?” Lance blurted. Keith put a hand on his shoulder to keep him from going completely hysterical.

“No, it’s not.”

That earned a collective sigh of relief from the group.

“But the government won’t listen to you. Neither will the space program.”

“Why?” asked Hunk. “They’re the main ones that should believe us!”

“The Garrison is aware of the Galra. They know that they took us.” Matt looked at Shiro, whose brows furrowed in confusion.

Keith recalled what Matt was muttering when they put him in the pod: Iverson.

“Iverson.” Keith met Matt’s gaze.

“Commander Iverson?” Lance asked.

Matt cocked his head to the side. “Yes. How did-?”

“I heard you muttering that when we put you in the pod,” he confessed.

Matt broke eye contact. “Commander Iverson made contact with the Galra a few years ago, right before the Kerberos mission. He was in charge of listening and intercepting any sort of radio chatter from space. Looking for any sign of friendship.” There was an icy bitterness in Matt’s voice now. Pidge squeezed her brother’s had, encouraging him to go on. “He intercepted a signal from Zarkon, who told him the destruction of our planet was imminent. Somehow he convinced Zarkon our species was an entertaining one, and promised to send some of Earth’s best to be his toys. We qualified. So that was the Kerberos mission.”

“They spent all that time and money to send you guys into space for that?” Lance had a hard time believing this.

“Of course only Iverson knew it was a one way trip. But that’s not the worst of it.” Matt gritted his teeth. “Iverson and Zarkon made contact a few days ago. The only reason we were in that freighter was punishment for my eavesdropping.”

“What did Iverson say, Matt?” Shiro studied his friend.

“They’re planning to send a ship full of cadets to the Moon. Garrison students.”

 _Shit. How are they getting away with this?_ Keith thought.

“But that’s impossible.”

“It’s not, Shiro. Iverson is the head of this program. Apparently Zarkon is out of soldiers, so he want these cadets. He plans to manipulate their natural quintessence and make them his ultimate warriors.”

“Do humans even have quintessence?” This was a question Keith had been wanting to ask since coming into contact with the stuff, before they were separated. That had been a tough time.

Allura answered. “After studying your physiology for some time, I’ve determined that, yes, humans have quintessence, but your species hasn’t evolved enough to unlock it. It’s located in the brain, close to the spinal cord. Shiro says it’s the part that keeps everything functioning, and connects to your heart as well.”

“The medulla oblongata,” Lance murmured.

Keith couldn’t help but be amazed at some of the things Lance knew.

“Humans can’t manipulate quintessence, but Galra can. Which makes them the perfect soldiers,” continued Matt.

“That settles it, we have to send them to Earth before Zarkon enters our solar system. Pidge, you’ll take your family home then stop the Garrison. Hunk, you’ll have to create the particle barrier on your own. Can you do that?” Shiro asked.

“Yeah, but…”

“I can provide you with a power crystal and proper emulator,” said Coran, and Hunk’s face melted in relief.

“Shiro, I want to help my sister. They won’t believe her on her own. Our father, he deserves to go home, but this is my fight too.” He dared Shiro to argue.

“Fine. You’ll go to the Garrison and stop that launch by any means. That should delay things for a couple days, which is when Zarkon plans to open a wormhole and jump to our system. That’s when Lance, Keith, and I will attack. We should prepare you to leave in a couple hours.”

“I think now would be a good time to say our goodbyes,” Allura said solemnly.

The four younger paladins stood together, though Hunk and Pidge were the only ones properly suited.

Pidge spoke up first. “It’s been an honor flying with you dorks,” she smiled sadly.

Hunk looked like he was on the verge of tears. “Yeah, what she said.”

Lance opened his arms. “Bring it in guys.” Keith eyed him. “You too mullet.”

They huddled in, Lance trying to reach everyone. Keith felt his arm across his back, and this was probably the closest he had ever been physically to the other paladins, but he didn’t mind it at all.

“No matter what happens, we’re a family,” Lance whispered.

Family… Did Keith really have a family, all this time?

“Ohana.”

“Family.”

Keith looked around at the other paladins. “Yeah, family.”

They broke their huddle, and made their way over to Allura and Coran.

“We’re ready to open the wormhole,” Allura said.  She was trying to be strong, but she was also on the brink of tears. The paladins nodded, and Hunk and Pidge made their way over to her. Pidge gave her a hug first.

“See ya, princess.”

Hunk was second, wrapping her in his big arms. “We’ll miss you.”

“Good bye, pala- friends.” She smiled.

Matt joined his sister’s side with his father, after hugging Shiro and saluting the other paladins. Coran went with them to the hangar, to help Hunk pack up his lion.

They left the control room, leaving Lance, Keith, Shiro, and Allura.

“I hope Pidge kicks Iverson’s ass,” Lance lamented.

“Yeah… he was a dick,” Keith agreed.

A few moments later, Coran rejoined them.

“We’re ready to go,” said Pidge over her com.

“Opening worm hole.”

They watched the blue hole open from the observation deck, and their friends flew inside. That was it, then. They were on their way to earth.

“Do you think they’ll be able to tell us if something goes wrong?” asked Lance.

“Pidge said she engineered a distress signal on both lions that only the castle can receive. Let’s hope they won’t have to use them,” Allura said.

“I think it’s time for all of us to rest. We have at most forty-eight hours before we know Zarkon plans to jump to our solar system, and we have to be on alert,” Shiro informed them. “To your bunks, cadets.” He teased a smile.

Keith and Lance nodded, and made their way to their respective rooms.

“Good night, Keith.”

“Night, Lance.”

Keith walked into his room and slid into his bed, sighing softly. The fate of everything was on their shoulders. So, the usual. But this time it felt different. If they screwed up... Keith shook his head. Of course they could do this. Team Voltron always won. Except this time, there was no Voltron. Just the three of them in space and two of them on earth. No big deal.

What was he going to do when they went back to earth was the real question. He didn’t have a home, and defender of the universe was only a title in space. After being kicked out of the Garrison, his credibility as a pilot had to be low. Maybe he could ask Shiro for some help.

While Keith was deep in thought, there was a knock at his door. He got up, wondering who was still awake. He pressed the button on the control panel and the door hissed open. It was Lance.

“Hey, did I wake you?” Lanced asked sheepishly.

“No, come in. What’s up?” Keith motioned for Lance to come inside, and they sat together on his bed.

“Couldn’t sleep.” He fiddled with something in his right hand, but Keith couldn’t see it in the dark.

“Nervous?” Lance never seemed like the nervous type. “Excited?”

“Both. I’m ready to get this over with.” Lance met Keith’s eye, and Keith felt the need to look away.

“Yeah, I hear you.” Keith wasn’t exactly ready. Maybe that was selfish but he wasn’t ready to go back to nothing.

“What are you going to do when we get back?”

Keith glanced back at Lance. “I don’t know. Go back to that shack, maybe? Try to find a job? I don’t really like thinking about it.”

Lance frowned, still fiddling with the thing in his hand. “Um, here.” He shoved the thing into Keith’s hand. It felt like paper.

Keith looked down at it, confused. “What’s this?” He opened to see some numbers and a couple words.

“My address, on Earth. Took me a minute to remember it.” He chuckled. “I know you don’t have much of plan, but I want you to come visit sometime. You’re always welcome here, mullet.”

Keith was touched. “Thank you, Lance.” He put the address in his knife pouch.

“No problem man.” Lance smirked at him as he usually did, but his eyes were soft.

They stared each other for a moment, in the quiet darkness.

“You know, you can hug me. That’s probably not your thing though, right?”

Keith laughed. “Get some sleep, Lance.” He slugged him gently on the shoulder.

“Alright Keith.” Lance left the room, still smiling, leaving Keith alone with his thoughts again. He pushed them aside and tried to rest, his head falling into the pillow.

 

Not too long after Keith fell asleep he was awoken by the sound of sirens. He leaped out of bed, and rushed to put on his paladin armor. What the hell was going on?

“Paladins, to the control room, now!” Allura shouted.

Oh no. Was it Zarkon? The anticipation made Keith uneasy.

He rushed into the hall, running to the control room. Lance and Shiro were already there, suited and ready.

“Allura, what’s going on?” Keith panted.

“Zarkon is preparing to enter your solar system.”

“What?!?! I thought you said we had forty-eight hours?!?!”

“Apparently Zarkon has… other ideas.” Coran looked at each of them, the grim expression of his face like a shadow.

“He’s already opened a wormhole, and is preparing to enter it as we speak,” said Allura. “I’ll be opening one for us shortly. Once we’re on the other side, you and Lance will have to immediately go after the quintessence. Shiro will be right behind, ready to attack Zarkon once the main quintessence is taken out. Do your best to find any that might be hidden, and Shiro…” She placed a hand on his shoulder and looked right into his eyes. “Kill Zarkon.”

“Princess, what are you and Coran going to do?” Lance asked.

“Hopefully provide a distraction,” she replied, and Coran nodded. “It’s time for you to get to your lions.”

They stood, unmoving for a brief moment. Lance was the first to wrap his arms around the princess, holding her tightly.

“Goodbye sis,” Lance mumbled. He let her go, and left the room, Coran following him.

Keith stuck out his hand and she took it. “Been an honor serving you.” He went to follow Lance, but glanced back at Shiro. He watched him stare longingly into her eyes, and decided it was best to give him a minute.

“This is it,” Shiro said, uncrossing his arms.

“I guess it is.” Her voice cracked, but Shiro pretended not to hear.

“You can always call Earth your new home, y’know,” he suggested, grabbing her arm gently.

She giggled. “I think I’d like that.” She looked up at him with wet eyes.

He leaned in, pressing his lips into hers in a soft kiss, working his hand around to press it against her back. He couldn’t tell if the tears falling against their cheeks were his or hers, but it didn’t matter. They parted reluctantly.

“Go. Be great,” she whispered.

 

Coran stood in the hangar with the two paladins, waiting for Shiro to arrive. He knew Allura would need a moment with him, so he followed Lance and prepared his goodbye.

“Well paladins, I must say, it’s been a good run.” Coran glanced between the two of them, lips resting in a sad smile.

“Bring it in man.” Lance pulled him into a bear hug and Keith stifled a laugh. Lance sure loved hugs, didn’t he? “You should come with us to Earth. There’s a place called Australia that you’d love. You’ve gotta try Marmite.”

“I’ll definitely consider it,” Coran laughed.

“Thank you, for everything,” said Keith, shaking Coran’s hand.

“As you say, no problem.”

Shiro walked in at just the right time, new determination radiating from him. “Let’s do this.”

“Good luck paladins.” Coran made his way back to the control room where Allura was preparing to open the wormhole.

They climbed into their lions, opening their coms.

“Are you ready?” asked Allura.

“Yes.”

Allura placed her hands on the control stands, willing the castle to open the wormhole. A bright blue swirling circle of energy appeared before them. Time to go.

“Entering the wormhole, brace yourselves.”

 

Not before long they arrived on the other side, directly in line with Zarkon’s ship.

“Lance and Keith, go!”

The hangar opened, the vacuum of space ready to suck them in. The lions galloped, flying into space, while Shiro hung back.

“So what’s the plan?” asked Keith over the com to Lance.

“We should wait for the distraction, then move in. Do you have the map of the ship pulled up?”

Red rumbled slightly, then a holographic map projected itself onto its screen.

“I do now.”

“The quintessence is in that little square quadrant. We have to find a way to separate it from the rest of the ship without drawing attention to ourselves.”

Keith zoomed in on said quadrant. “How are we going to that?”

“I’m working on it.”

 

“Coran, open the channel to Zarkon’s ship,” Allura ordered.

“Yes princess.” Coran pressed a few keys on the board in front of him. The screen lit up with Zarkon’s crusty purple face spread across the glass. His eyes glowed maliciously. He looked sickly, his skin mottled in places.

“Princess. To what do I owe the pleasure?” he mused.

“It’s time to stand down, Zarkon. You have no soldiers, one ship, and no one following you on your dark path. If you surrender now you may have a chance to die with dignity.” Her steely gaze did nothing to shatter his composure.

“I never thought you were the type to make idle threats, princess. Then again, you are naïve, just like your father,” he growled.

“You mean the one that trusted you?” she exclaimed.

“A foolish mistake.”

She clenched her fists, knuckles whitening. “Then you have leave me no choice but to destroy you.”

“And where is your precious Voltron?” he sneered, his teeth a ghastly yellow.

“Voltron?” Her eyes widened, nearly betraying her. “Voltron isn’t here, Zarkon.”

“Ah, so they have abandoned you.” He smiled, like this was good news.

“I will never be abandoned. I don’t need Voltron to defeat you. It’s just us now.”

“We shall see.”

The transmission ended, leaving the darkness of space before them.

“Coran, fire!”

 

The particle barrier activated, and the castle began to fire its lasers at the head of Zarkon’s ship.

“There’s our cue,” said Lance.

They flew underneath the castle, out of view from Zarkon. Skimming under Zarkon’s ship, they landed on the quadrant of the ship that held the quintessence.

“What are you thinking?” asked Keith.

He was met with silence.

“Lance! We need that plan! What are you thinking?”

“We need to separate the quintessence without causing too much external damage.”

_I know that, Captain Obvious._

“So what’s your plan?” Keith repeated.

“So the room looks like it’s behind some empty space. It seems like a false hallway. If we start here,” Blue pointed to the purple metal. “And slice around, it should be as easy as pulling apart an orange.” Keith could feel him smirking.

“One problem: We have nothing to slice with. Our lasers are too powerful to not cause extraneous damage.” Keith sighed. Nothing ever came easy.

“Do you remember how to do that weird heat melty thing?”

“Yeah...?” Where was he going with this?

“If you can use your heat to melt around the perimeter of the quadrant, I can use Blue’s ice ray after. Heat the metal then cool it to cause expansion, thus…”

“Causing it to fracture apart.” Keith finished.

“Clean like an orange.”

“Lance you’re a genius!” Keith laughed.

“I- uh, thank you Keith.” Lance was glad Keith couldn’t see him blushing.

So Keith started going around the perimeter of the quintessence room, slowly heating the metal, while Lance followed behind him, cooling the line. It seemed to be working, the hull was already beginning to crack. Once they were finished, the two of them watched it break apart.

“Now we just have to grab it.”

They pulled the fractured room away from the ship, which came apart easily. They tossed it away, letting it float for a moment.

“Want to do the honor of blowing that thing to bits?” asked Lance.

“Nah, you do it,” Keith encouraged.

“We can do it together?”

“On three?”

“One…”

“Two.”

“Three!” they yelled in unison, blasting the quintessence simultaneously. It exploded in a rainfall of color, or as much of rainfall you could get in space. Needless to say it was finally destroyed, but their job was far from over. It was time for them to infiltrate. They parked their lions in the newly formed crater of the ship. The lions’ mouths opened, and they jetted out to the wall. Keith took his sword and made a hole big enough to crawl through. Once they were inside, they made their way through the dimly lit corridors, weapons raised.

“Blue told me she only sensed three lifeforms on this ship. Zarkon has really gone off the deep end, hasn’t he?” Lance pondered, bayard poised and ready to shoot.

“Just stay alert, who knows what he could be hiding here.” Keith wouldn’t put it past that evil son of a bitch to have a surprise waiting for them. Every shadow could be some new mutated creature. Or worse.

They kept walking, turning down hallway after hallway, not sure where to go. If Zarkon was hiding any quintessence, it would be in the helm, where he could access it the easiest, or at least that’s what they were hoping. Keith couldn’t place it, but he felt himself being pulled in a certain direction, so he took the lead and followed his instinct. Unfortunately, that led them straight to Haggar, the witch.

“You two… You destroyed our quintessence!” she snarled, raising her clawed hands. Her hood covered most of her face, but her teeth sparkled in the dim light.

“Sorry to rain on your parade, but that quintessence was never yours,” Lance taunted. “But hey, we’re not here to hurt you. Just tell us where the- Hey!” A wall of force knocked him into the wall like the world’s biggest backhand. “I changed my mind! Keith, hurt her!”

Keith moved into a defensive position, holding his sword out, ready to swing.

Haggar cocked her head to the side, studying him. “Ah yes, the red one. I sense something in you, you are more than what you say.”

Keith lowered his weapon. “What do you mean by that?”

Lance was still slumped against the wall, clutching his side. “Don’t listen to her! It’s a trick.”

Keith glanced at him, then back to Haggar. “What does that mean?”

She smiled wickedly. “Are you sure you’re human?”

Keith froze. Of course he was human! He was born on Earth, he had a human mother…

But he never knew his father.

“You can feel it can’t you? The quintessence? That’s your other side, red one. Maybe you have to see to believe what you truly are.” She lowered her hood, eyes glinting. Her hair shortened and darkened to a deep purple. Fluffy, triangle shaped ears grew from the top of her head. Her skin darkened slightly and her eyes were now a florescent yellow. She looked exactly like Keith…

His eyes widened. “That’s… that’s not me. I’m human!” Or was he? Ever since their mission a few years ago, he started having doubts. The Galra tech responding to him, the quintessence reacting with his skin… Was he a monster?

“Oh red one, join us. Come to the side where you truly belong.” She offered her hand, and he reached out, hesitating and staring at that purple skin. “Your friends will never accept you.”

He always felt out of place on Earth. Was this his true home?

“No.” He drew his hand back, shaking his head. “I’m a paladin of Voltron, no matter what I am.”

“Pity. I guess I’ll have to kill you.” Her lips drew back, revealing sharp canines. She lunged after him, a blue and white blur flashing before him, knocking her to the metal wall with a clang. _Lance._

Lance held his bayard to her chest. “You’re an evil hag.”

“He can’t deny the truth. He knows what he is,” she drawled.

“Keith will never be one of you. He’s a good guy,” Lance shot him a quick smile.

Keith stood in place like a statue, still in shock, but managed to smile back.

“You are all naïve to think there is good in this universe that outweighs the corruption. It’s been that way for thousands of years and will never stop.”

“I should really teach you about the US government,” he quipped, pressing the barrel harder into her chest. “Zarkon’s reign ends here. You can join us, or join the quintessence you stole.”

“Do it!” she spat. She was still in her Keith form.

Lance moved to pull the trigger, but hesitated.

“You don’t have the guts blue one.”

He gazed into her yellow eyes, looking for something, anything worth redeeming.

“Die, you fucking witch.”

He fired.

Yellow blood spattered against the wall, and she slumped over into a pile on the floor. Her body transformed back as she died, her white hair draping over her confused face.

“Lance…”

“That’s not the Keith I know.” Lance looked back at the dead body, watching blood pool onto the floor. “Come on, we have to keep moving.” He winced, clutching his side again.

“Are you okay?” Keith moved to inspect the damage but Lance waved him off.

“It’s just a bruised rib. I’m fine.”

 _You can’t bruise a rib_ , Keith thought, but didn’t bother correcting him.

“Let’s hope Shiro is having a better time than us.”

 

Zarkon sensed the presence of the black lion on the ship. Even though it was no longer his to control, he still felt drawn to it. Old habits, perhaps. He looked to his last right hand man, Thace.

“Go after the druid. She went to bring me that batch of dark quintessence and has yet to return,” he ordered. He had a human to deal with.

“Yes, Emperor,” said Thace, leaving the room quickly.

_Time to come out of hiding, paladin._

“Stand down Zarkon.”

 

Lance and Keith weaved their way through the ships corridors, still following Keith’s instinct. They walked in tense silence, neither speaking. Keith was scared that Lance killing the druid changed him. It was a heavy moral burden to carry, even if she was evil. Seeing his Galra form scared him too. Was that really what he was? A freak, pretending to be human? He thought about when he tried to take Zarkon on by himself, and the words he spoke to him: _“You fight like a Galra soldier.”_ It would explain a lot about his temperament, and his natural abilities in the heat of battle. Were Galra bred as evil soldiers? He probably would never learn the answer to this, since most of the Galra had been wiped out by Voltron, not by much choice. He knew his human side, his mother, his new family. That was more important than any questionable alien roots.

New footsteps echoed down the corridor in front of them. They stopped, pressing themselves against the wall. The footsteps sounded closer and closer, until they were right in front of them.

“Freeze!” Lance ordered, pointing his gun at the Galra. Keith raised his sword, ready to strike, when he was stuck with a strange sense of Déjà vu. He had seen that Galra before.

The Galra held up his hands in surrender. Keith looked him over, noting the distinct steaks of gray near his temples. His face seemed human passing despite the color, with sharp cheekbones and a prominent jawline. Those eyes…

The Galra seemed to studying Keith equally, before recognition dawned on his face. “Kethrek,” he said quietly.

That sent a shiver up Keith’s spine. “What did you say?”

“Kethrek,” the Galra repeated, pointing at him.

“My name is Keith.”

“What are you doing dude? That’s the enemy!” Lance was just as confused as Keith.

“You know me, don’t you?” Keith asked, stepping closer.

The Galra nodded.

“Lance. Let him go.”

“What?!?” Lance stared incredulously. “Keith…”

Keith shot him a look, and Lance reluctantly lowered his weapon.

“The druid is dead,” said Keith.

The Galra nodded. He turned sharply, walking back the way he came.

“Keith, he’s getting away!”

“We have to follow him.”

“So he can kill us?!?”

“Lance, I’m sorry.” This identity crisis wasn’t helping either of them, but Keith trusted his instinct. “Just trust me.”

Lance eyed his skeptically, before resigning and following the Galra.

_Thank you Lance._

 

“Have you come to challenge me, paladin?” Zarkon asked, not bothering to face Shiro.

“I have no choice. You’re going to destroy my home,” said Shiro, hand glowing.

Zarkon chuckled. “I’m not here to destroy your planet, foolish human.”

Shiro was taken aback at that statement. “What?”

He turned to face him. “I was never going to destroy your planet. Too many useful lives. Not as valuable as Galra, but if they could breed champions like you, they could be of some value to me.”

“So you’re here for those soldiers. Innocent children,” Shiro paled, despite knowing this already. It made him sick.

“Don’t you breed your children to be warriors? Toys of war?” Zarkon smirked.

“No, we let them grow and be loved.”

“Love is such a weakness.” Zarkon strode across the room, moving closer to him. Shiro kept his arm raised. “Tell me, do you love the princess?”

Shiro stood, dumbfounded. “Why are you asking me this?”

“I thought about destroying her. I could do it, right now. But killing her champion would break her all the more. Truly, she will have nothing,” he coughed, and Shiro took notice. “After all, what is Voltron without its leader?”  

“You’re weak Zarkon. You have no extra quintessence left. Just let this empire die. You made you point long ago but no one can live forever,” Shiro declared, thinking back to all of the evil humans history taught him about. Most of their reigns ended in tragedy, and now it was Zarkon’s time.

“Then fight me like a champion.”

 

Lance and Keith followed the Galra cautiously, and Lance had to fight the urge to hold up his weapon. He trusted Keith, and did so with his life, but whatever was going on with him internally had to be dealt with, preferably after Zarkon was dead. They all needed a relaxing day at the beach and a few years of therapy when they got back to Earth. Lance didn’t believe Keith was alien as the witch said. It was all mind games.

“Why, exactly, do you trust him again?” Lance asked, anemic eyebrow raised.

“I can’t explain it,” Keith muttered.

“Try me.”

“I think that Galra man… is my father,” Keith confessed,

“What? No, Keith, you’re human! You were born on Earth! You have a human mom, you showed us when we connect minds.”

“But I never met my father, Lance. And, the druid…”

“She was messing with your head, man,” Lance made a swirling motion with his finger near his skull.

Keith sighed. Maybe Lance was right. But wait…

“He called me something. Kethrek,” Keith was sure it meant something.

“Maybe it just means ‘follow’ in Galretic.”

“It sounded like a name,” he frowned.

“Maybe you remind him of his lost son,” Lance stopped, putting a hand on Keith’s shoulder. “Listen, don’t let this bother you too much. Even if you are part alien, which, if you are I’ll eat my slipper, you’re always a part of this team and nothing will change that. Okay?” Lance tried to give him a comforting smile, but it came out like a grimace as pain shot through his side.

“Okay,” Keith glanced down at Lance’s side. “Do you want me to look at that?”

“No, I’m fine. Let’s just keep going.”

So they trudged on, following the Galra through various corridors. Keith only hoped that he was taking them to Zarkon. Maybe they could help Shiro?

As they went down the current stretch of dim corridor they slowly heard the echoes of two voices. Shiro and Zarkon. The Galra held up his hand to stop them and they halted, just around the corner from the control room.

“What’s going on?” asked Lance. “Are they fighting?”

The Galra man nodded.

“Is Shiro winning?”

The Galra made the universal hand sign for meh.

“Can we see?” asked Keith.

He motioned for them to come closer. They peered around the metal corner, watching Shiro fight Zarkon. They were grappling at each other, no real weapons in use. Shiro seemed to be holding out okay, but maybe they should jump in.

“I’m going in there,” said Lance, charging forward. Keith pulled him back by the collar of his paladin suit.

“Are you crazy? Zarkon doesn’t know we’re here!” How the tables have turned.

“But we could jump him, take him by surprise!”

“Lance, you know I’d be the first person to blindly go in and fight, but it could compromise everything,” He looked him in the eyes. “This is his fight.”

Lance resigned, falling back to his side. _Come on Shiro._

Zarkon pressed his full weight against Shiro, forcing him to the ground. Shiro countered, sweeping his leg underneath him, knocking him off of his feet. Shiro hovered over him, hand clutching his throat, knee pressing into his stomach.

“Do it. Kill me like a true champion.” Zarkon sneered.

Shiro squeezed harder, the metal hand glowing purple. He could end it, right here. But the hesitation was evident.

“Weak.” Zarkon grabbed Shiro by the leg and tossed him into the control panel. It dented with a sick crunch. He got up and strode over to the black paladin with the gleam of victory in his eyes. Grabbing Shiro by the throat, he hoisted him into the air. Shiro gasped, struggling to breathe. He tried flailing his legs but that did nothing. The glow of his arm seemed duller as if it was losing power. Or dying.

“This is your end, paladin.”

 

The three of them watched in horror. This wasn’t how it was supposed to happen.

“I’m going in there!” Lance moved to storm in, but the Galra stopped him. “He is dying, and if you don’t let me in there you’ll be next,” he growled.

The Galra pulled a blade out of his sheath, and ran in to the control room, leaving them behind.

Lance raised his bayard, preparing to shoot. “That’s it.”

Keith jumped in front of him. “Lance stop!”

It was too late. Lance had pulled the trigger, and Keith took the blast to his chest.

_“KEITH!”_

 

“Any last words?” asked Zarkon.

“Go to hell.”

Zarkon laughed, putting more pressure on Shiro’s throat. He shut his eyes, expecting to feel a sharp pain, then nothing, but instead felt the grip on his throat relax, then disappear. Shiro dropped to his knees, coughing and allowing the air to fill his lungs. Zarkon was lying on his side, a dark metal blade stuck through the chink in his armor, a strange Galra standing over him

“Thace… Son, why?” Zarkon croaked, yellow blood seeping from the corner of his mouth.

He said nothing as he drove the blade deeper into Zarkon. Shiro watched the light leave from Zarkon’s eyes, and it was something he would never forget.

“Thank you,” he said to Thace.

Thace paced over to him, and Shiro thought for just a moment that he was in danger. He held out a piece of folded parchment in front of him, and Shiro took it. “For the red one.”

Shiro grabbed it, and after scrutinizing it, stuck it behind his chest plate. “What does it say?”

Thace stayed quiet, shaking his head and motioning for him to follow him out of the room to the corridor where Lance and Keith were waiting. Lance had Keith in his arms, bayard abandoned, pleading for him to wake up. The chest plate of his armor was singed, and the smell of burnt flesh assaulted Lance’s nostrils.

“Come on buddy,” he pleaded, voice cracking pathetically. “Wake up for me. Please.”

Shiro and Thace stopped in front of them. Shiro crouched down at Lance’s side, scanning over Keith, worry overtaking his face. “Lance, what happened?””

“I shot him. It was an accident! I was trying to protect you from…” He shot Thace an embarrassed glance. “I didn’t mean to, he just jumped in front of me and I couldn’t stop!” Lance started hyperventilating, anxiety taking him over.

“Lance, stay calm, Just breath,” Shiro felt a hand on his shoulder. Thace knelt down beside them. He pressed two fingers against the wound, and they glowed with energy. The tissue began to heal, no longer burned and Keith’s eyes fluttered open.

“Lance…”

Thace removed his hand, and Lance fought the urge to hold Keith to his chest and never let go.

“What’s going on?” asked Keith, slowly sitting up.

“We’re bonding,” Lance smiled, blinking tears from his eyes.

Keith looked around at the faces surrounding him. “Shiro! Is Zarkon-?”

“He’s gone. We can go home.”

Keith stared up at Thace. “Thank you for helping us.”

A ghost of a smile fluttered over his lips. “Go, Kethrek.”

He nodded and Lance helped him into a standing position. They parted ways, Shiro going back to the air vent he came through, and Lance and Keith walked back to their own lions. Thace watched them go, pride shining through him like a new star.

 

“Allura, Zarkon is dead. We’re all safe,” said Shiro through his com.

“I’m preparing to blow up the ship now. Are you all aboard your lions?”

She was going to blow up Zarkon’s ship? What about Thace?

“Yes,” they replied.

Keith was ready to protest, to say that there was a good person still alive on that evil vessel, but out of the corner of his screen he saw something. Keith swore something ejected from the ship, but didn’t bother to say anything. It wasn’t his business to say. The others said nothing either, and the ship exploded in one blast.

“Time to go back to Earth,” said Lance.

 

They watched the particle barrier dissipate, and Keith felt a resounding proudness for Hunk. How he managed to get it up and running in the time that he has was nothing short of a miracle. As the lions and the castle entered the atmosphere, Lance sent out a message to the other two paladins.

“Hunk! Pidge! Can you guys hear me?”

After some time there was a response from Hunk. “Lance! We saw the ship explode. Is Zarkon really-?”

“Zarkon is gone, Hunk,” he assured, and Hunk sniffed.

“It’s finally over.”

The lions seemed to sense each other, so the paladins let the lions lead them to where they were supposed to go. The castle followed them, and they landed in the desert, seeing the other lions before the paladins. The particle barrier crystal still glowed in the emulator. Dust rose as the ships landed, and Hunk, Pidge and Matt ran up to them. The three of them stumbled out of their lions, practically falling into the arms of their friends.

“You guys did it!” Pidge yelled, hugging onto Shiro with Matt.

“Where’s Iverson?” Shiro asked, patting them both on the back.

“Detained by the FBI. You should have seen it Shiro she kicked his butt!” Matt informed him excitedly.

“Hunk, how did you build the particle barrier projector so fast?” Keith was really impressed, this team truly amazed him.

“I had some help actually.” Hunk pointed to the crowd of cadets that they didn’t even notice before. They all hung back, afraid to disturb their moment.

Allura and Coran joined the group after landing the castle, and the first thing she did was run into Shiro’s arms. She dipped him victory style, kissing him like it was the last kiss she could ever have. He blushed profusely.

“So… that’s a thing. Finally,” Pidge chuckled.

They all laughed, and both of them turned red.

“We’re finally home!” Lanced shouted, throwing his arm around Hunk and grinning like a mad man. Seeing Lance happy made Keith smile. He was such a goofball. Keith didn’t feel like staying, though. It was time to move on, and figure himself out. Identity crises didn’t just go away by themselves.

So while everyone seemed distracted, Keith made a break for his lion. Hopefully Red could return herself to the castle, if they chose to stay here. Which of course they would, Allura didn’t seem like she ever wanted to leave.

“Hey mullet! Where do you think you’re going?” Lance tapped him on the shoulder. Keith spun around to face him, expecting a cheeky smile and an eyebrow waggle, but instead Lance looked like someone just kicked his puppy. “Don’t tell me the great Keith Kogane is too good for a celebration.”

Keith laughed. “Sorry Lance, but I don’t want to stay. I’ve got some stuff to deal with.”

“Is this about the Galra thing? Keith, you know we don’t care,” Lance looked at him with pleading eyes. Who would have thought?

“There’s a whole part of me I don’t even know about. But now I have the time to figure it out. I’ve already borrowed information from Red and I’m just going to go back to my shack out west.”

“Keith, you’re not lost anymore. You don’t have to go back there.”

“So you have been paying attention to me,” Keith teased.

“How could I forget anything about the guy that cradled me in his arms?” Lance shrugged innocently, smiling.

“I thought that didn’t happen?”

“Well, now that I’ve returned the favor. We’re even.” Lance crossed his arms. “Do you still have your knife?”

Keith patted left leg armor plate. “Right here.”

“Good. Don’t lose it. You’ll need it someday.” He opened his arms for a hug. “Bring it in, Keith.”

Keith eyed him skeptically, before sticking out his fist. “We make a great team.”

Lance glanced at Keith’s fist. “Yeah,” he said, bumping it. “A damn good team.”

“I’ll see you around, sharp shooter.” Keith turned to climb into Red.

“See ya, samurai.” Lance went to join the rest of the group. Shiro took notice of Lance being upset, despite trying to hide it with a smile. He jogged over to Red, before Keith got the chance to finish climbing in.

“Shiro, don’t try to stop me,” Keith groaned.

“I’m not, Keith. I can’t stop you from doing anything anymore.” Shiro pulled out the paper from his breast plate. “I just need to give you something.” He handed it to him, and Keith took it, confused.

“What is this?”

“That Galra gave it to me and told me to give it to you.”

Keith opened it, revealing faded writing, as if it was written years ago. He scanned it over, not bothering to really read it. At the bottom was a small sketch of a woman with dark eyes, just like Keith’s, holding a baby. That was all the confirmation he needed.

“Thank you Shiro.”

“Good luck out there.” Shiro smiled supportively.

Keith climbed into Red, taking off, while the rest of the team looked up to watch him go, and Lance was the last one to look away from the sky.

He hoped Keith found what he was looking for.

 

** A Few Years Later: **

 

Keith spent the next few years studying up on Galra history, going back to that shack in the desert. When he tried to let Red go, she wouldn’t leave, so his only company was a giant robotic lion. He wouldn’t have it any other way, though. He didn’t mind the essential loneliness, it was nothing he hadn’t experienced before. Sometimes, though, he found himself wondering what the rest of team Voltron was doing. Shiro and Allura visited him once, with their little girl. _That_ was a surprise. Still, it reminded him of what he left behind. They were his family.

He tried channeling his Galra side a few times, willing himself to turn purple or grow fuzzy ears. That didn’t work, except the one time his hand changed color. Maybe his human DNA overpowered the Galra. It was hard to say, there was not real record of cross-speciation between Galra and other lifeforms, not even Altean. But that didn’t stop him from trying, standing in front of the mirror of his bathroom for hours on end.

All in all, he was starting to feel lost again, like a train without a destination. He could go anywhere he wanted, but it never felt right. Something was missing. There was always this slight empty feeling, and no matter how hard he tried to ignore it, it was like a small hole in his chest: noticeable and unnerving. What could he do? How could he even begin to look for his old friends?

He pulled out his knife and tossed it at the wall in frustration. A small something fluttered down to his feet, and he picked it up curiously. It was the small paper Lance had given him on their last night at the castle. The writing was still legible after all this time.

Keith knew where to go.

 

Walking down the sidewalk, Keith scanned the houses, looking for the matching numbers. He’d never seen a beach town before. The palm trees and houses on stilts were strange to him, yet he could admit they were pretty. Lance was right to miss this place.

He stopped in front of a white stilted house with light blue shutters. The numbers on the side matched the ones on the paper, so he walked up the stairs and knocked on the door. Keith was beginning to think this was crazy. What if Lance wasn’t even here? He was probably in an actual college, doing something with his life. Keith didn’t even know what time of year it was. What if he was interrupting Christmas?!?

The door opened, and two women stood there. One was significantly shorter than the other, with dark hair and russet skin, and the other was a pale, lithe woman with sharp blue eyes. They both smiled.

“Hi, I’m looking for Lance?” It was more of a statement, but came out like a question because of Keith’s nerves. “I’m Keith.”

The two women looked at each other with a glint in their eyes.

“Lancelot!” the paler woman called out.

“Company!” said the darker woman,

There was a heavy thudding of footsteps from upstairs, and Lance came barreling down, nearly tripping over himself. The women moved out of the way, and Lance went straight to the door, not sure who would be here at this time of day. His friendly smile dropped when he saw who was standing at the door.

“Hey Ocean Man.”

Lance leaned against the doorway, visibly in shock. Keith was starting to worry that this was the wrong thing to do, but it was still a comfort to see a familiar face.

“You know, out of all the things I’d expect you to rock, a ponytail is pretty surprising.”

There he was.

Keith twirled his hair in his finger. “I cut my hair, y’know. It just got long again.”

“Still, anything is better than a mullet,” Lance teased. “Do you want to come in? We were going to start dinner.”

“I’m not really staying long. I just came to catch up.” Keith wanted to stay, but he didn’t know if he deserved that just yet.

Lance studied him. “Come on, I’m taking you the beach.”

“What? Lance…”

“You want to catch up right? Besides, it’s a lot more private without my nosy moms and family members.” He grabbed Keith’s wrist. “I’m going out! Esto es muy importante!” He closed the door behind him, and dragged Keith down the stairs.

“Is it far?” asked Keith.

“No, it’s right there!” said Lance, pointing forward.

 

They sat in the sand, watching the ocean rise and fall with the tide. Keith loved the feeling of this sand between his fingers. It was different from the dusty desert sand he had been living around.

“So, what have you been up too?” asked Lance, breaking the silence.

“Just, studying the Galra. Figuring out that part of me.” Keith avoided his gaze, focusing on drawing in the sand.

“So you’re really alien. Too bad I can’t find my slipper.”

Keith laughed at that. “Yeah.”

“So can you turn purple? Grow cat ears? That would be an interesting look on you.” Lance grinned at the thought of Keith looking like a cat.

“No, I’ve tried. I got my hand to change once, but I guess I’m too human.” Keith was secretly thankful for that.

“Uh huh. So why’d you come back? And why me?”

“While I spent a few years on my own, I felt this pull, like that energy, except it told me I was missing something,” he admitted. “I can’t really explain it, but I felt lost again. I found that paper you gave me, and I knew it was the right start.”

“So are you going to see everyone?” asked Lance.

“Maybe. I don’t know. I miss them all, though.” Keith stared at the sand. “You know Shiro and Allura have a baby?”

Lance laughed. “Yeah, she’s a little handful, just like her mom. Coran is going nuts.”

“I’ve missed so much,” said Keith forlornly.

“Hey, it’s alright!” Lance put a hand on his shoulder. “Everyone has their own lives. We’re twenty-somethings who just spent the best years of their lives in space. We all deserve a break.” He put his hand back down.

“So what are Pidge and Hunk up to?”

“Hunk is a NASA engineer, working on their latest satellite. He finally got ground work.” Lance chuckled. “Pidge and her brother Matt are instructors at the Garrison. It’s pretty cool.”

 _Sounds like everyone has their lives together,_ Keith thought to himself.

“What do you, then?” Keith asked, finally looking his way.

“I work at the local produce market. It’s pretty tedious, but it’s relaxing too. I thought about going to school, maybe get a degree in marine biology.”

That was surprising.

“You don’t want to be a pilot?” Keith asked incredulously.

“I’ve done enough piloting for my lifetime Keith.” His sarcastic tone had a twinge of sadness. “But can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“Are you satisfied with the way things are now?”

 

“No.”

Keith wasn’t satisfied with his choice to leave, but maybe he could rectify it.

Lance stared out at the setting sun on the horizon. “When we were in the Garrison, I was pretty jealous of you.”

This didn’t surprise Keith, considering their rocky rivalry.

“You were naturally talented, and I had to work so hard to catch up. It wasn’t really fair. Then, when you got kicked out, I felt like I had a chance. Then we got stuck in this Voltron mess, and I thought: why him too? I could never be great by myself. Then we had to work together, and you know how that went.”

Keith nodded.

“Battling? Fighting monsters? It took me a while to think of us as equals. It was almost like school again,” Lance relaxed, laying his palms into the sand behind him. “Then I realized, we’re all pilots, we’re all equals, and we’re all a part of the team. We all needed each other. We did this amazing thing, and we did it together.  Even when I just wanted to go home, or Pidge wanted her family,” Lance smiled. “You know, after everything, almost getting sucked into space, being separated, fighting and not knowing whether we’d all survive… I wouldn’t change it. It was what we were meant to do.”

_I was meant to find you._

“What I’m trying to say is, I’m glad you came to see me.” Lance finished awkwardly.

“I’m glad I came back,” Keith admitted, smiling shyly.

“You ever been in the ocean?” Lance stood, taking of his flip flops.

“Never.”

“Come on, take off your shoes and roll up your pants. Or is the kitty afraid of water?” Lance stuck out his tongue.

“I’m going to get you,” threatened Keith, pulling off his shoes. Lance ran into the water, his basketball shorts giving him the advantage of going farther in. Keith followed in, stepping carefully. The warm water splashed against his ankles, creating a new sensation, almost ticklish. It was a nice feeling. He splashed Lance, who dodged it with ease, and retaliated by slapping the water, sending it into Keith’s chest. He giggled as the barrage of water he made hit Lance directly in the face. Lance sputtered, wiping the water away. Keith moved to attack, but tripped into the oncoming tide, losing balance and falling directly onto Lance’s chest. He pressed his hands against Lance’s chest, trying to regain balance.

Lance looked down, amused. “You can hug me or whatever. Go on.”

Keith knew he was joking, but he wrapped his arms around him anyway, squeezing him gently. Lance stiffened slightly, but immediately relaxed, patting Keith on the back. This was more emotion from Keith than he was used to dealing with.

Keith glanced down at Lance’s lips, watching them stretch into that beautiful smile.

“Go for it.”

Keith didn’t think twice as he pressed his lips against his, kissing him softly.

The emptiness was gone.

Keith parted from him, noticing his wide eyes, still open.

“So… is that your goodbye?” Lance’s eyes misted over.

Keith looked away. “You know, I think I’ll stay, at least for dinner.” He smirked.

A small gasp escaped Lance’s mouth, “You absolute quiznak.” He grinned wildly, entwining their fingers.

“I still don’t think you’re using that word correctly,” Keith informed him, grasping his hand tightly.

“Shut up.”

They made their way back to the shore, picking up their shoes, but not bothering to put them on. They walked back to Lance’s house, still holding hands. Lance seemed to be humming some song that Keith didn’t recognize, but he didn’t care because his eyes were bright and he was smiling and that’s all Keith ever wanted to see.

He didn’t look back at the beach, or the ocean, or even at the darkening skies.

 

Keith was tired of the stars.

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Feedback is appreciated!
> 
> Hit me up on tumblr: mr-mustache-penis.tumbr.com


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